The Exalted Order of the Magical Arts
The Grand Order of the Magical Arts (whose members are often referred to simply as "Casters") are the major players among the mystical arts of Ethaeria. No commoner may learn any sort of magic without Caster approval, and many Counts, Lords, and Guild Barons have their own personal retinue of Casters on their payroll. Due to the strong nature of the mystical powers, many Casters die earlier than the Wardens, but they still live longer than the majority of common folk. They are also unable to make use of most forms of technology, as their potent external magical auras have been known to disrupt gear based machinery and to detonate black powder. Types of Casters Each Caster focuses on a specific art or manner of casting and a specific school or group of schools. Mage - A caster that focuses on battlefield magic casting. These casters have very powerful offensive and defensive spells. Wizard '''- Most common of all caster types, focuses on all around casting and magics. Jack of all trades, master of none. '''Sorcerer/Sorceress - Tend to live in seclusion, focusing on the natural arts (plant, animal magics). Sage - Focuses on magic philosophy, learning, and other scholarly pursuits. Seer/Mystic/Reader '''- A seer, or sometimes called a mystic or reader, uses magic signs and portents to scry and fortell the events or happenings of the future. They can also use these powers to view past events. '''Warlock/Witch - '''Like the mage, these casters focus on battle casting. However, they are more advanced in that they can weave together spell "chains"; powerful combinations of magic that can devestate entire armies. Caster Strength Types '''Hedge/Diminutive: '''A caster too weak in strength to pass the Rite of Understanding and gain full status. These usually end up as servants to those who have full status, and are generally considered second-class citizens. '''Lesser: '''A caster with enough strength to pass the Rite who is still considered to have weak magical talent. Most casters fall into this category. Lesser casters still receive full status upon completing the Rite. '''Moderate: '''Casters of medium and slightly above average power. Moderates are usually kin to the ancient bloodlines, if not from one. A caster must be moderate in power before they can be considered for a position of power withing the order. '''Greater: '''Extremely powerful casters. Almost always from an ancient bloodline. Extremely rare for one to be from common stock. These always hold positions of power in the order. '''Acute/Atypical: '''One of a handful of casters throughout the order's history with next to unlimited power. Schools of Magic Each caster must attend the University of Magics as soon as their magical power presents itself (usually around age thirteen). There, they are tested to see which school, or branch, of magical power they will learn. Recognized Schools *Pyromancy: Use of fire (or magical light). *Geomancy: Magic involving stone, mud, sand, or other elements of the ground. *Hydromancy: Magic involving water, or elements tied to water such as fog or ice. *Aeromancy: Magic involving the wind, also flight. *Anthromancy: Magical control of animals, magical creation of animals, also anthropomorphism. *Telekenisis/Psionics: Mind reading, control, thought suggestion; tightly regulated (see Forbidden Lores for more information). *Botanomancy: Plant magics, control of plant based life. Forbidden Lores Among the Casters, there are certain lores that have either been deemed too dangerous or too potentionally dangerous to teach or even study. So far, there have only been two areas catagorized as such. *Necromancy: Creation, control, or use of the undead. At first thought to be a way of resurrecting dead loved ones, this power soon turned into a nightmare scenario. All those brought back turned into mindless ghouls seeking to devour living flesh. What is worse, it was found that the one that brought the person back could control the undead creature. Although many were told to renounce the art, some still practice it in secret. *Telekenetic domination (also known as total control): It is forbidden for any telepathic/teleknetic caster to totally dominate another's mind or will. Doing so would turn them into a mindless servant of the caster (also known as a "husk"). Caster Bloodlines There are countless branches and families among the Caster branch of mankind. However, there are tree primary families that form a "Triumverate" of rulership over the rest. They are: R'Orvan, L'Arynt, and the Desei. Caster Hierarchy '''High Master/Mistress Mage: '''Mage presiding over the other casters versed in battle magic. This person is responsible for the deployment of mages across Ethaeria, for deciding when to allow mages to participate in conflicts, etc. After the disgrace of the Wardens, the High Master/High Mistress Mage also became responsible for overseeing the policing of the various casting disciplines. '''High Master/Mistress Wizard: Responsible for overseeing the casters who are versed in all areas of study. This person is often a bridge and buffer between the leaders (and interests) of mages and witches/wizards. This office is expected to maintain as much peace as possible between the other ranks, since such casters tend to be far more disciplined and stable. High Master Sorcerer/High Mistress Sorceress: '''Oversees the motley crew of secluded casters that form the sorcerer/sorceress groups. They are responsible for keeping tabs on each invidual caster of their type. '''High Master/Mistress Seer: '''Guides all of their group towards using the powers of telepathy and scrying to the benefit of Ethaeria. Responsible for arranging for Seer assistance during legal trials and other civil matters. '''High MasterSage/High Mistress Sage: Sage presiding over the caster discipline focusing on magical theory, learning, and non-combative magic. Responsible for overseeing collaboration with commoners in scientific/magical research as well as deployment of sorcerers/sorceresses to areas that need their services. In current times, sages are mostly assigned to areas with which casters need influence instead of where they are needed. High Master Warlock/High Mistress Witch: After fighting for the right to have their concerns heard in council, the casters that can weave spell chains were granted a leader/representative to not only oversee them, but to catalogue their spell weaving for research purposes. Exatled Master of the Order: This person is the head of the ruling group, and can come from any of the disciplines. The Exalted Master's main function is political; he/she casts tie breaking votes when needed and deals with the ruling powers of Ethaeria on the order's behalf. This office is elected rather than simply based on power and bloodline.